“I’m only 29, but I almost feel old” - Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman lead new-look Netcompany-INEOS Giro d’Italia challenge

INEOS Grenadiers arrive at the 2026 Giro d’Italia in a very different position to the one that once defined the team’s Grand Tour dominance. There is no overwhelming favourite in their ranks, no mountain train built to suffocate the race and no expectation of complete control. Instead, the newly rebranded Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team setup heads to Bulgaria with their co-leaders Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman offering two contrasting but complementary hopes for the Maglia Rosa.

Ahead of the Grande Partenza, both riders struck notably calm and reflective tones, though from very different perspectives in their careers. “I’m only 29, but I almost feel old,” Bernal admitted during pre-race media duties in Burgas.

The comment came as the Colombian reflected on how dramatically professional cycling has changed since his own emergence as one of the sport’s defining young talents. When Bernal won the Tour de France in 2019 at 22 years old, he became the youngest rider in a century to achieve the feat.

Now, he looks around the peloton and sees a completely different landscape. “These days teams give lots more chances to the young riders to shine,” Bernal explained. “They let them train more, they're getting more motivated and the way the teams handle them has changed, too.”

Despite the changing nature of the sport around him, Bernal also made clear that his own ambitions remain high heading into a race that still carries special significance in his career. “They say it’s the most beautiful race of all and I’m as keen as ever to do it well,” he said. “We’ve got a great team and I’m very motivated.”

That motivation carries extra weight given everything Bernal has endured since his life-threatening training crash in January 2022. Last year’s seventh place overall at the Giro marked his best Grand Tour GC result since the accident, while a strong Tour of the Alps campaign this spring suggested another step forward in condition.

The Colombian finished second overall there, with Arensman joining him on the podium in third as Netcompany INEOS showed signs of building genuine depth around their Giro challenge. “I’ve raced very little this season,” Bernal explained after knee issues disrupted part of his preparation. “But in my first races back, I’ve been up there more or less and that allows me to go on dreaming of some top results here.”

Bernal also believes freshness could become an important factor as the race reaches its decisive stages. “It’s important too, that I’m fresh for the Giro,” he said. “That way I can be up there, trying to do what I can.”

The Colombian also pushed back against suggestions that this year’s Giro route is less demanding than previous editions. “For me it’s still very hard,” Bernal warned. “Even stage 7 with the Blockhaus is really tough. That last week of the Giro is really difficult, particularly the final stages and that’s where the biggest differences will be made. As always in the Giro.”

Alongside Bernal’s experience and perspective sits a very different type of Giro story in Arensman. The Dutchman arrives in Bulgaria carrying growing expectations after his breakthrough Tour de France campaign in 2025, where two stage victories transformed both his profile and his confidence within the team.

Unlike Bernal, whose story now revolves around recovery and resilience, Arensman’s Giro feels more like the next step in a steadily developing Grand Tour project. “I’m in a good place,” Arensman said during the team presentation. “I feel calm and in control, which is very positive. Above all, I’m really looking forward to it.”

That sense of control has become central to Arensman’s build-up after illness derailed his 2025 Giro challenge and left him only 29th overall. Rather than radically changing his preparation, the Dutchman instead focused on refining the approach that later delivered success at the Tour de France. “What I did for the Tour worked,” Arensman explained. “And you try to implement that a little more.”

Part of that process has also involved learning how to better manage both his body and his build-up into Grand Tours. “Maybe slightly quieter than other times, but that also comes with being a year or two older and knowing your body better,” he said. “That knowledge comes from the experiences you go through and feeling what has worked.”

Arensman also admitted the team had specifically tried to improve how he reaches the opening stages of the Giro after previous struggles early in the race. “It is a classic Giro parcours, so the structure isn’t completely different,” he said. “Above all you try to arrive at the start fresh - and I think I am.”

The wider Giro landscape still revolves around Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike after the withdrawals of major contenders including Joao Almeida, Richard Carapaz and Mikel Landa. But behind the overwhelming favourite, Netcompany INEOS quietly remain one of the more intriguing teams in the race because of the balance between their two leaders.

Bernal believes the brutal final week will define the Giro. Arensman, meanwhile, sees a route that could suit his characteristics particularly well. “I really like this course, with a time trial and a tough third week,” the Dutchman explained.

That combination of a long individual time trial and attritional mountain stages could give Arensman a genuine opportunity to test himself against the strongest general classification riders over three weeks.

For INEOS, this Giro is no longer about recreating the era of absolute control that once defined the team. Instead, it is about rebuilding through two riders arriving from very different places.

One is a former Tour de France winner trying to prove he can still compete at the highest level after years of setbacks. The other is a calmer and increasingly mature Grand Tour rider beginning to grow into the leadership role many inside the team have long projected for him.